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Silence fell in an instant.
Pei Ruye paused, then smiled faintly: “No, I was much stricter.”
That white jade bamboo stick taught them many things.
For example, pain is a necessary path to refinement.
A collective gasp was heard in whispers.
Isn’t this strict enough!! Coming every other day is almost unbearable for us!!!
They had vaguely heard about the jokes regarding “Nightfire,” but no one could take them seriously now.
Given the Grandmaster’s strict demeanor and terrifying ability, after a few years, it wasn’t just about love; it was hard not to invest half one’s life into it!!
Only God Huo could adapt to such intense training—
“Eh?” Bo Huan curiously asked: “What was Teacher Huo like when he was our age?”
The other trainees watched silently.
Having connections sure is nice, to boldly ask such a gossip-filled question.
“When Ren Ren was seventeen or eighteen…” Pei Ruye reminisced for a moment: “Very stubborn, very harsh on himself when learning to dance, but very cute.”
The moment he uttered “Ren Ren,” the students inexplicably felt teased.
Wait!! What’s with that tone!!!
Why did the big devil suddenly become so much softer!!
Pei Ruye was polite and friendly to friends and colleagues, but the only person he genuinely treated with warmth was Huo Ren.
Huo Ren had once called him “teacher” on camera, and now, in front of the trainees, Pei Ruye called him “Ren Ren.”
They both thought nothing of it, but those listening couldn’t recover.
Not afraid of a flirtatious person stirring trouble, but fearful of such ordinarily cold people suddenly showing affection.
Accidentally uttering such a term, those who hadn’t been in love couldn’t resist.
Bo Huan squinted and smiled: “Brother Ren must have been really clingy to you back then.”
People around were already trying to rush over to cover his mouth.
“Speak less of the blatant truth! Can you just say anything like that openly?!”
Pei Ruye smiled and nodded in agreement.
Admitting it, after all.
He began to miss the youthful and naive charm of those days.
At Shidu Music Academy, in the C202 lecture hall of Yongfeng Building.
A young lecturer was writing a long list of German terms on the board, his elegant handwriting flowing as his long hair fluttered slightly in the breeze.
Not a single student dared to sneak a photo of him with their phones.
It was June, a time when course difficulty peaked.
Online, idols were often dismissed as empty shells or mere decorations. But college students facing a retired first-line Professor Bo were in a tough spot, hanging by a thread.
Why do some lectures suddenly switch to English?!
Why do I need to consult so many documents for a classical music course?!
Why does no one stop this teacher from assigning homework and papers?!
Lashing out at those who cyberbullied Chi Ji in the past had become a regular stress relief for these students.
It’s all your fault!!!
If you hadn’t blindly criticized and insulted, would Chi Ji have become depressed?!
If Chi Ji hadn’t become depressed, would Corona have disbanded?!
If Corona hadn’t disbanded, would our exams be this hard?!
Damn you, give me back my credits and GPA!!!
Both the lecturer and students were fully immersed in the transfer of knowledge, barely noticing the figure outside the window.
It was class time, and the hallway was devoid of unrelated wanderers, save for another young man in a dark gray suit, looking towards the podium from afar.
Long Jia had just received a task from Xie Lianyun and was in a good mood, waiting for his ambiguous interest to finish class.
He had matured a lot, carrying a sharpness acquired from business dealings.
The Long family’s decision to join forces with the Pei family for a counterattack was largely because Long Jia was willing to come back and help.
Previously, he and Bo Jue were confined within Corona, with little personal freedom and no clear boundary between work and private life.
Now, with things adjusted and corrected, picking up Bo Jue after work felt more spontaneous and free.
It had been two months since they last saw each other.
At a reception, Long Jia nearly put his whole heart into coaxing his first love, dragging him into mischief till midnight.
He intended to clear things up after waking up, but Bo Jue drove home at four in the morning and went to Xie Lianyun to vent his frustrations.
Despite attempts to explain and persuade, Bo Jue remained stubborn and unwilling to agree to anything.
But they had reconciled quite a bit.
Before leaving Corona, they had no right to love; after leaving, they had to wait again for time.
No one dared to be sure they could completely overthrow Han Qu and destroy all his painstaking efforts, including the entire Han family.
From a standpoint of hatred, this was a destiny that could not be relinquished.
From a rational perspective, they each had to continue living.
If they were to risk everything, disregarding all to avenge Chi Ji, the resistance wouldn’t be significant, finding an opportunity for a mutual downfall would be easy.
But they couldn’t throw their careers, families, lives, and futures into this single cause.
Career, family, life, future – all these factors restrained them.
—Making this revenge all the more prolonged.
Lost in thought, Long Jia leaned against a sculpted pillar, his shadow casting an unwittingly handsome silhouette.
Bo Jue had just finished the last line and turned to answer a student’s question.
At first glance, he instinctively looked past dozens of students, spotting the man outside the window.
He paused for a few seconds, thinking he was overly longing for that idiot, having mistaken many for him recently.
—Why would Long Jia be here?
Regaining his senses, Long Jia smiled and waved.
Bo Jue took a moment to react, and the students, following his gaze, recognized the visitor in a second, with some girls almost instantly identifying him.
Long Jia!! It’s Third Young Master Long!! It’s the living Mr. Long!!!
Long Jia actually came to our school!! And specifically to see Professor Bo!!
Can we take photos now I really want to capture this their gaze is too beautiful I can’t even—
The morning light, mingling with dust in the air, marked the distance between them, with the intertwining sounds of violins and pianos from afar.
Bo Jue, holding the chalk, stood for several seconds, hastily put down his book, said ‘study on your own for now’, and quickly walked out.
The classroom buzzed with excitement.
The students whispered among themselves, none daring to risk their credits by taking photos and posting them on Weibo.
Holy crap!! Could the rumors about Long and Bo be true?!
Professor Bo seems to have lost a lot of his killer vibe!!!
Mr. Long is really handsome, like a young, successful CEO straight out of a textbook. I want to marry him!!!
Bo Jue seldom rushed out to greet anyone these days, nearly embracing the visitor out of habit as he exited the classroom.
He stopped abruptly in front of the man, defaulting to a cold demeanor.
“What’s the matter?”
Long Jia looked him over with interest, noting his disguise.
“If I’m not welcome, then I’ll leave.”
Saying so, he turned to walk away.
“Stop it,” Bo Jue tried to maintain a serious tone. “Is there something you need?”
Long Jia glanced at the curious students from the lecture hall and unabashedly hugged him.
The students gasped in excitement.
“I missed you, came to wait for you to get off work for dinner.” He then nibbled on Bo Jue’s ear under the cover of long hair: “Professor Bo, we haven’t seen each other for two months. Did you miss me?”
Bo Jue never imagined he’d be so flustered by this man in front of over a hundred students, unable to push him away after not being embraced for so long.
He could only scold him in a low voice: “What are you doing? I’m still in class.”
Yet, he didn’t remember to refuse even something as intimate as an ear nibble.
Long Jia took another bite, unabashed.
“Long—Jia!”
“There’s no problem, Little Nightingale is doing well. Xie Lianyun has something for you, I came on his behalf.”
The man released him, even casually smoothing Bo Jue’s ink-black hair with his palm.
“Continue your class, I’ll wait outside.”
Bo Jue quickly checked the time.
Three minutes to the end of class, and he hadn’t assigned today’s paper yet.
“Don’t wander off.”
“Okay.”
He glanced up at Long Jia for a few more seconds, face flushed, and headed back to the classroom.
The students in the lecture hall had witnessed the entire exchange, and though they didn’t catch the specifics of their conversation, they were already beside themselves.
Even without hearing anything, they wanted to scream!!!
They were hugging!!
Mr. Long’s hair-flipping gesture was so sexy!! That’s practically a public offense!!!
These two stopped being idols a while ago, how come they seem to start “operating” the moment they meet?!!!
Bo Jue tapped on the lectern, face expressionless.
“Still watching?”
The students, who were still fixated on the charming Mr. Long, obediently, and eagerly turned their attention back, behaving exceptionally well yet restless.
Bo Jue’s face was still warm as he forced himself to turn around and write the assignment requirements.
“I’ll give you some homework.”
After writing a few lines, he instinctively turned to look at the person outside the window again.
Long Jia, smiling, blew a kiss, unabashedly flirtatious.
Bo Jue gave him a cold stare, turning his back on everyone to finish writing the next part of the assignment.
But he couldn’t help smiling.
Yeyyyy